Manufacture of artificial staple fibers



Oct. 25, 1938. o. F. VON KOHORN zu KORNEGG 2,134,150

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STAPLE FIBERS Filed June 5, 1935 FiEL'I.

Patented Oct. 25, 1938 PATENT OFFICE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STAPLEFIBERS Oscar Freiherr von Kohorn zu Kornegg, Chemnitz, GermanyApplication June 3, 1935, Serial No. 24,750 In Germany June 29, 1934 3Claims.

The invention relates to a process and plant for the manufacture ofstaple fibers from artificial threads, more particularly artificialthreads produced from viscose or other cellulose derivatives. In thisplant, the cutting of the threads to staple length is carried out afterthe aftertreatment and before drying. Due to the fact that the dryingtakes place on the comparatively short staples and not on thecontinuously running bundle of threads, the material is afforded abetter opportunity of shrinking and twisting so that the final productproduced according to this form of construction has a far higherstretching capacity than when the cutting of the staples takes place onthe previously dried bundles of fibre. The cut staples may be subjectedto an additional treatment by softening. or curling agents before theyare introduced into the drier.

The above mentioned features and advantages 20 as well as other featuresand advantages will be more fully disclosed in the followingspecification reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming apart of this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical side view of a plant for carrying out myprocess, partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional v ew of the part of the plant in which the threadsare treated with a liquid, taken on line AA of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a. diagrammatical side view of another embodiment of a part ofthe plant provided with an additional feeding device to admix cottonstaples to theartificial silk staples.

In Figures 1 and 2, the threads (for example artificial silk threads)spun in the spinning machine I on both sides thereof are led overrollers 2 to a band conveyor 3 situated in the centre of the machine andcarrying them in the form of two bundles of threads F and F out of thespinning machine and into the after-treatment machine 4. The latter ismade in two parts (see the section A-A of the machine in Figure 2). Thebundle of threads F is after-treated on one side of the machine and thebundle of threads F on the other side. This subdivision of theafter-treatment machine into two parts is important, because experiencehas shown that the after-treatment of the continuously running bundlesof threads requires careful attention and occasional intervention on thepart of the attendants, the accessibility being in that case limited bythe length of the arm. Subdivision in two parts in this case renders itpossible in a very simple manner to attend the machine from two sides,so that in such an after-treatment machine it is possible to attaindouble the capacity of the known constructions, in which attention isonly possible from one side.

The after-treatment comprises in the known manner a sequence of aplurality of treatment steps. After-treatment in the sense used andclaimed herein includes such known steps as washing, bleaching and soforth, and is not intended to include simply moistening the threads withwater. The after-treatment liquids are introduced into upper tanks 5,trickle down along the bundles of thread F and F, running over the pairsof rollers 6 and 6' at spinning speed, collect in the lower tanks 1 andare pumped back therefrom again into the upper tanks 5 (and areregenerated, replenished and so forth according to requirements). Thetwo bundles of thread run after the manner of the ropes in pulley blocktackle from one end of the pair of rollers 6, 6 to the other end, sothat despite the high speed of the thread, the bundles of thread canremain a considerable time in each treatment stage, which time islonger, the greater-the number of times the bundles of thread are passedround the rollers. The rollers B, 6' are supported as at 6".

From the last pair of rollers, the two bundles of thread, still runningcontinuously, arrive at the cutting apparatus in front of which they areunited to form a single bunch F". The cutting apparatus comprises twoindependently operating cutting devices 8 and 8', which are mounted in afixed position and which may be designed for example in the form ofrotating discs each provided with three radially mounted cutting blades,the latter co-operating with a stationary counter-blade.

The staples produced in the cutting apparatus consist (in the case oflarge machines) of many thousands of adjacent individual threads, whichin accordance with their method of production lie parallel to andcomparatively firmly against each other. In order to open this mass offibers well, which is very desirable for the subsequent treatment, thestaples are now subjected to a longer or shorter spraying with water orother suitable liquids (reviving, curling or the like liquids), whichsplit up and, so to speak, float the adhering staples. In theconstructional example according to Figure 1 this takes place in thetrough 9, which comprises a steep part 9 and a horizontal orsubstantially horizontal part 9". Both parts have a roughened bottom inorder to prevent the staples from being washed away too rapidly. Thelength, inclination and nature of the bottom of the flotation trough,and also the veyor device id to the opener ii, in which the.

staples are again subjected to further loosening, which in this casetakes place in the dried condition, and is still more eilfective thanthe first loosening in the moist state, so that the staples leave theopener IS in the state of a wadding-like web. This enables them to bespun in the same way and in the same devices as natural fibers, moreparticularly cotton.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the construction of thepreliminary opener ii, the drying chamber i3 (together with its interiorarrangement), the opener I5 and the corresponding conveying devices issimilar to the construction of said devices as usually employed in thecotton treatment art.

If it is desired to admix cotton staples to the artificial silk staples,the parts Ii, l3, l4 and i5 of the plant as shown in Fig. l are replacedby the construction as shown in Fig. 3. An additional feeding device I!is arranged in front of the entrance of the preliminary opener ii anddelivers cotton staples to the flow I 8 of the subsequently treatedartificial silk staples carried by the conveyor band ID. The mixture 0!.cotton and artificial silk staples is opened by the device i I andcarried by the band I2 to the drying chamber IS. The conveyor band i4delivers the dried staples into the opener l5, which discharges amixture ll of artificial silk and cotton staples. Special mixing devices(not shown) may be arranged, if desired, in order to produce a stillmore homogeneous mixture of artificial silk and cotton staples.

1. A continuous process tor the manufacture of staple artificial fiberswhich comprises spinning continuous threads, subjecting said threads,whilst continuously running, to an after-treatment such as washing,bleaching and so forth with treating liquids and continuously cuttingsaid threads while still moist with the aftertreatment liquids to formstaples.

2. A continuous process for the manufacture of staple artificial fiberswhich comprises spinning a plurality of continuous threads,- separatingsaid threads into at least two portions and subjecting said portionsseparately to an aftertreatment such as washing, bleaching and so forthwith treating liquids, uniting said portions of threads and cuttingthem, while still moist with the after-treatment liquids to Iormstaples.

3. Plant for the continuous manufacture of staple rayon fiberscomprising means for spinning continuous threads in separatedallotments, a set of drums for each allotment over which the thread isadapted to pass, means for after-treating with liquid the threads oreach allotment while on the drums, means for supporting said .drums,said supporting means being located between said sets of drums, to makeeach drum accessible from its outer side, means to unite the allotmentsafter they pass over the sets of drums and further means to cut staplesfrom the imited allotments while still moist from said aftertreatment.

OSCAR FREIHERR VON KOHORN zu KORNEGG.

